Alan Walls

If it had a shiney dark blue label with the odd air bubble, that's the one I had. I now remember it had that MR stamp.

Tony, Chalky - thank you Chaps, that's the one. Only taken me 26 years to find that out! I'm sound Tony, you alright? Hope to see you at Stafford. Cheers

I bought one off Pat Brady's list for £15 way back in the day. Blue label, maybe silver writing, styrene IIRC. One night at Stafford years later Pete Lawson found it in my salesbox and told me that not only was it a boot, it was he and a mate who booted it in the 70's. Later when I mentioned this to Pat, he reckoned I, Pete or both of us must have been "mistaken"...

Shortly after The Delcos - Arabia started getting plays I saw a copy on a list from the US. The dealer described it as "excellent Belgian popcorn".

F'ing brilliant!

I have a marvelous tape from '84 Keb made me. Proper, old skool home taping, done on one of those mono tape recorders propped up against the speaker. At various intervals you can hear in the background a whistling kettle, someone knocking on the front door and the toilet flushing! Off the top of my head I can remember: The Classics - So Glad I Found You The Limelites - Don't Leave Me Baby The Empires - You're On Top Girl The Soul Set - Will You Ever Learn (which he claimed Guy sold to him for all of 6 quid!) The Young Brothers - What's Your Name The COD's - She's Fire and a cracking early 70's dancer covered up as George Hobson - I Have A Girl. Our old mentor from Tranent, the late Neil McKillop, had the only other copy I knew of. Never did find out who it really was. As Ion mentioned earlier, top man as Keb was he could drop the odd honky howler. Jagged Edge - Baby You Don't Know on RCA, anyone? Or The Enchantments - I'm In Love With Your Daughter?

I have a tape of Gary playing at Leicester Oddfellows, can remember: Lamont Cranston Band - Takin' A Chance (ex Williams & Watson c/u) Frankie Beverley - Want To Feel I'm Wanted* Gasoline Powered Clock - Forest Fire on Main Street (ropey inst, can't remember c/u name) Gary Sole - Holdin On *seem to remember a tale doing the rounds that this tune became a hit by mistake, Because Of My Heart was the side that was going big and gary played WTFIW on the flip by mistake. Nonsense, of course, that it never occurred to anyone to listen to the b side!

Maybe Frank had a go, but I distinctly remember the great Dave Godin delivering a stern rebuke in his inimitable style, which included a stinging condemnation of the song's regional stereotyping of working class northerners!

For £599! Is that normal?

Indeed, but it was an Oldies Anniversary. Veterans out in force in the old skool uniform, plus some off our bus from Edinburgh who still thought they were the height of fashion!

Didn't see the auction: which Roy Roberts track are we talking?

My Magnetics - When I'm With My Baby/Count The Days had a small crack in the run-in groove, went for £400 about 15 years ago. Few years later I was back at the buyer's flat after a session and found it sitting on top of his box under the telly, not in a sleeve, covered in thick dust. I seriously considered making a citizen's arrest and taking it into protective custody, in the name of all that is good and holy. Some folk just ain't fit and proper.

Wigan Casino 5th Oldies Anniversary, Feb '81. The first and only record I recognised that night was Bobby Paris - Night Owl. Had no qualms about dancing as I had been practicing in my bedroom for months, and besides, no one could really see what I was doing on account of me being a small youth encircled by several pairs of Spencers Original Northern Soul Bags (with the 40" bottoms!)

Aye mate, we were still RTSC at the Glenrothes YM, and the 2 we had in the Exit Centre. Changed the name to the more cool/less naff Solid Hit Soul Club in anticpation of a new niter we were hoping to get off the ground after the YM had enough of us, but that failed to materialise. As SHSC we did soul nights in Kirkcaldy and a few dayers. Are we acquainted, my good man?

The last night of Stafford had a fair old queue when we turned up. Dispersed in every direction in about 1.4 nonoseconds after Dave emerged to advise the heaving throng that "everyone will be searched, so make sure you don't bring in anything you shouldn't have"!

Right Track Soul Club? Bloody hell, I couldn't recognise my own design! That was us too, at the niters in the Crown Hotel, Thornton and various dayers, before starting Solid Hit

Mick, the Solid Hit Soul Club was Steve and I. You have a 'Gold' member card, issued to the first 50 (or to pals), the rest were pale blue like the label. We 'borrowed' (ahem) the idea from Rob Marriott & Jim Wensiora for their excellent Soul Power nighters. Ruff Cut Soul Promotions was Allanton. I played at almost every one and only now find out Jim had membership cards! Soul Time was the Clifton Hall, Rotherham Connoisseurs Soul Club (bottom left, with a drawing of what was supposed to be 'a gentleman connoisseur type' but looked like a penguin in a car crash) - was Allan Johnston's nighters in Stafford (after TOTW closed). Soultown - was that Guy & Co at Blackburn?

Christ on a bike! I actually remember that quite clearly. Tony collared me and more or less shoved me in front of the camera, despite me having just honked up a right old rip snorter of 'phet, and said something like "oh, just say something nice about me". I'm waffling like a loon because I thought that by answering the question exactly ("what do you think makes him such a good dj?") I might appear to be in control! Like falling into a manhole you can see 20 yards away, I knew I was careering away towards Tangent Central, but I couldn't help it. "His ability to get his 'sermon' voice over...uncluttered" - what? I'm rattling on about microphone technique! Brain thinking 3 responses, mouth emitting an unrealted 4th. It went on for ages, too, there's at least another 2 minutes that semed like hours. Think yourselves lucky you were spared that...

Was it ever re-issued? I seem to remember it being one of Robin Salter's particularly rare ones for ages, then - early 90's maybe - a few seem to appear at once.

The Limelites - Don't Leave Me Baby The Cairos - Stop Overlooking Me Little Stanley - The Stran COD's - She's Fire The Soul Set - Will You Ever Learn and the rest...

I've managed to block most of the faux pas' out of my memory, but the odd one still haunts, like getting a copy of Jesse Johnson on Old Town for a few $'s but not really taking a fancy to it and giving it away to my brother, for free. Or giving away a near complete set of Blues & Soul up to 1974 - including the successive issues which covered Dave Godin's visits to The Wheel, wher he first coined the phrase 'Northern Soul' - to the ruthless, blagguard of a carpetbagger that is Jock O'Connor...

Timeless Legend for £911? Was it a particularly rare press or is this a 'normal' price?

And a Happy New Year to you too, Mate!

*ahem*

I seemed to remember a modern tune from around 15 years back by Delanieur on Teri De, and reading a review (in Voices From the Shadows, maybe?) which stated she was none other than Len Jewell's daughter, on his reactivated Teri De label. So I Googled "delanieur modern soul" and found this: /Sale-t28653.html It doesn't confirm she is Len Jewell's daughter, but it does show I wasn't imagining things! Len Jewell - top man!